Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on April 23 announced new steps it will be taking to help reduce risks associated with surgical staplers for internal use and implantable staples. The proposed steps include: Reclassifying surgical staplers from Class I (low risk) to Class II (moderate risk). Issuing guidance to…

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Editor's Note There were no increased risks of complications or readmissions after total hip replacements (THRs) and total knee replacements (TKRs) performed in a community-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC), finds this study reported in a Poster Session March 14 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Las Vegas. A…

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Editor's Note Intravenous (IV) acetaminophen did not result in a significant difference in pain scores, opioid consumption, or opioid-related adverse events compared with oral acetaminophen, finds this study presented March 12 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. A total of 154 patients having total…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on March 6 announced that it is moving the inpatient and outpatient Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement (THKR) implementation guides from the performance measure webpage to the 2019 Specifications Manual for Joint Commission National Quality Measures. The Manual was published in February. The move will…

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Editor's Note Age 50 to 80 years was a strong predictor of returning to independent living and walking 1 year after hip fracture surgery in this study. Of 600 patients aged 50 and older included in the study, 3.07% aged 50 to 80 years were living in an institution 1…

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Editor's Note Adductor canal nerve block (ACB) provides modest analgesic benefits after ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery, including improved relief for rest pain for 8 hours and reduced opioid consumption for 24 hours, this meta-analysis finds. However, ACB did not provide any analgesic benefits and did not improve any outcomes, compared…

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Editor's Note An automated text messaging system increased patient engagement with home-based exercise and promoted faster recovery after knee and hip replacements, this study finds. In this analysis of 159 patients (83 controls, 76 intervention) having total knee or hip replacement surgery, those receiving timely texts showed improvement in the…

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Editor's Note The Healthcare Quarterly report by Moody’s Investors Service shows the orthopedics and spine sectors increasingly performing robotic-assisted procedures, the January 18 Becker’s Spine Review reports. This is resulting in strong growth for device firms with major investments in these specialties, particularly Medtronic with its Mazor robotics platform for…

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Editor's Note To reduce contamination of the surgeon in the OR, the two-person gowning technique must be highly monitored, or the single-person gowning technique should be used, finds this study from the department of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. For the…

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Editor's Note In the first 2 years of Medicare’s Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program, there was a modest reduction in spending per procedure without an increase in complication rates, this study finds. Comparing costs associated with 280,161 joint replacement procedures in 803 hospitals required to participate in the…

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